


accelerate

by FlashThroughLight



Category: Batman (Comics), Batman - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe - Robots & Androids, Alternate Universe - Space, Established Relationship, M/M, Temporary Amnesia
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-26
Updated: 2018-12-26
Packaged: 2019-09-27 12:49:15
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,886
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17162270
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FlashThroughLight/pseuds/FlashThroughLight
Summary: Tim has been reset, but Jason will stop at nothing to get his lover's memories back.





	accelerate

**Author's Note:**

  * For [clarityhiding](https://archiveofourown.org/users/clarityhiding/gifts).



> My contribution to the JayTim Secret Santa 2018! I had Clarityhiding/Mandylion as my recipient. You're awesome, please keep Bob-ing on~
> 
> So many thanks to the mods for setting this up and especially Molim when I ran into a few snags! Couldn't have done it without them.
> 
> Not beta'd, please point out any of my own silly mistakes.

Working on ship maintenance was methodical. It had a very specific set of protocols that needed to be followed or everything would end up being broken. If he didn’t do his work right, then they would end up being stranded in space. Sure, they were close enough to a quadrant that they could send out an sos, but it would still take time.

It was just the type of work that he needed right now. Something to keep his mind focused and, most importantly, occupied. Everything was easier when he stuck to all of the tasks that he set up for himself. The task list was at the front of his mind now, ever present.

He reached off to the side to grab a monkey wrench. While checking the cargo doors, he’d noticed that some of the nuts were looser than mandated by regulation, so he was tightening them. A simple task, perhaps, but one that still kept him busy.

After all, there was only so much that he could do on this ship. They tended to keep up with the maintenance as much as they could, so maybe he was reaching a bit. Maybe the nuts didn’t need tightening, but he was still going to do it. Anything to not think of the empty space by his side.

He was used to being alone, before all of this. So it shouldn’t be hard for him to get used to it again.

Even if, deep down, he knew that he didn’t want to get used to it again.

“Jason, there you are. You weren’t responding to my hails,” a voice said behind him.

Oh, Jason heard the hails alright, but he just decided not to answer them. “What’s up, Dick?”

“We’ve been sent another cargo request. It’s going to be in the Rhea quadrant, just want to give you a heads up,” Dick said.

Jason gritted his teeth. “If you don’t remember, last time we were there, things didn’t exactly go well.” It had been months since they’d been there, but they were still feeling the repercussions of it. The fact that only the two of them were standing here was a testament of what happened.

Dick sighed and stepped in closer to Jason, putting a hand on his shoulder. “That’s why I wanted to check up with you. It’s not an urgent request and we can turn it down.”

Jason didn’t want to go there. It didn’t matter to him how large the quadrant was, the place just had bad memories. “You should turn it down. It’s easy enough to find another job.”

That wasn’t true and they both knew it. “Okay,” Dick agreed easily. “We’ll find something else.”

“Good.” Jason took a step to the side so Dick’s hand would slip off his shoulder. There were still three nuts that he needed to look at. He knelt down to tighten one closer to the floor.

“I think you’ve gone over the entirety of this ship, Jason. There’s nothing else that you can really do.” Dick stayed close to Jason, just standing on the edge of hovering over him.

Jason scowled at the nut as he tightened it and he only had to twist slightly for it to reach regulation standards. “There’s always something to do.”

He could hear Dick’s disapproval as the man spoke up again. “Not when you’ve been combing through the ship for five months. She’s not that big, you know.”

Of course Jason knew how big their ship, the Robin, was. Her blueprints were in his head. Jason was also very aware of how little there was left to do before he would have to start making excuses to work on things. “It’s keeping me busy.”

“It’s also keeping you from sleeping. When’s the last time that you slept?” Dick asked.

Jason let out a bitter laugh. “Y’know I don’t sleep, Dickie.”

“Then rest or whatever you call it.” Dick’s voice had hardened. This wasn’t something that he was going to back down on, Jason heard that tone often enough to know that.

“It makes me think of him. I’d rather not,” Jason said. He hoped that bringing that up would get Dick to back down, if only just a little.

“Tim would want you to think of him.” Damn, his gamble hadn’t paid off.

Jason ran a hand over his face and he tossed the monkey wrench back into the tool box. “Tim doesn’t want anything anymore.”

Dick knelt down next to him. His mouth was still a hard line, but the look in his eyes softened as he watched Jason. “Tim was just reset. You’re acting like he’s gone forever.”

“Of course he’s gone forever!” Jason snapped. Dick didn’t flinch at all as Jason rounded on him. “That’s how it works. It isn’t brainwashing or some other bullshit, Dick. He’s been reset. Everything that made Tim _Tim_ is gone now and that includes all of his memories. Everything about this ship, about our work, about _us_.” He covered his mouth as his voice broke.

Dick’s entire body slumped, no more harsh edges present at all anymore. “Jay, I know it’s hard. When you lose someone that close to you, it’s the worst. But you can’t let this hang over you. He wouldn’t want that.”

It didn’t really matter what Tim would’ve wanted anymore. Now it was just his memory that hung over them. It wasn’t like he could enforced anything on Jason anymore, chiding him for doing things when Tim was just as bad or even worse. It was unfair that Dick was trying to use that memory now to try and convince Jason that he needed to slow down. The three of them were all close, you kind of had to be when you spent most of your time together in a ship where you couldn’t exactly leave, but Jason and Tim used to be more than just close.

Before Tim decided to be a self sacrificing moron and let himself be reset for Jason’s sake. Jason knew about Tim’s self sacrificing streak before everything had gone wrong, but he’d never known how deep it actually ran. Tim was supposed to be an android equipped with a supercomputer processor and he was still the biggest idiot in all the quadrants.

Jason blamed himself. Even though he was older, he was supposed to take care of Tim. That was what he’d done before they ever let feelings grow between them. It was what he continued to do when they got together.

Jason had failed at that.

Now Tim was reset. Just an empty shell with factory settings.

The thought made Jason want to feel sick even though he hadn’t ingested anything in recent memory.

Dick’s hand came to rest on Jason’s neck this time. “You’re going stir crazy. Staying awake this long is only making things worse, Jason.”

“I want to stay active,” Jason whispered.

“Then I’m sorry.”

Jason’s eyes widened and he tried to scramble away from Dick, but he just backed up into the door. “Dick, don’t you-”

 

\---

 

“Earth to Jason. I need the component.” A pale hand waved in front of his face.

Jason held back the want to nip at those long fingers, even if they were covered in grease and whatever else was in the gunk that lubricated their accelerator. “One component coming up.” He handed it over to Tim.

“Thanks.” Tim immediately slipped back under the machine. He was the slighter of the two of them, so he was the one doing the repairs.

Jason put the faulty component aside to get recycled. Luckily for them their systems gave an alert before the component actually broke. When you were traveling in space, it wasn’t good to have a malfunctioning accelerator. They’d be unable to move without it, so they’d docked at the nearest station to get it fixed.

“Y’know, I’ve never been to Earth,” Jason mused.

Tim let out a hum, which Jason was barely able to pick up through the depths of the machinery. “I was assembled there and spent some time there before I was picked up.”

“I wasn’t.” Jason heard a lot about Earth and seen pictures and the like often enough. There were a lot of humans in the quadrants that talked about it, how it had been their starting point.

“I guess it’s nice enough, but I like being out in the quadrants much more.” Tim pushed himself out from under the accelerator. “I remember that I used to do work like I was supposed to, but nothing ever really resonated with me. One of my first waking sentient memories is opening my eyes after resting and seeing the expanse of the universe in front of me.”

That was a much nicer waking memory than Jason’s. He couldn’t remember much from when he was younger. All that he knew was that it hadn’t been good, so it was likely that he just blocked it out of his mind.

Tim grabbed a tablet off to the side and slid under the accelerator again to take a picture. He handed the tablet to Jason. “I’m pretty sure I got it in right.”

Jason took the tablet and zoomed in to check the placement. “It looks good to me. I don’t know why you’re asking, you have the schematics downloaded in your head. Your supercomputer head which is better than mine by far.”

“Even if your memory is not as good as mine, you were taking care of all of this before I showed up,” Tim said with a smile.

There was some gunk on Tim’s cheek and Jason didn’t hesitate to reach out and swipe it away. All it did was leave a smudge, so Jason pulled away to grab a rag from the toolbox. He licked a relatively clean corner to wet the rag and then cleaned Tim’s face. “I appreciate the sentiment.”

Tim’s ducked his head with a flush. Jason marvelled at how advanced Tim’s model was. Someone actually sat down and created a function for Tim to flush just like a human did. It was such a little detail that wasn’t necessary in any way, shape, or form, but someone still coded it into Tim.

“Speaking of, I think I need your help.” Tim held out his arm and a portion of skin slid open near his elbow, revealing the inner components. “I think there might be a wire loose in my arm. It was moving sluggishly while I was working, but it’s at an angle that I’m not able to self repair. I was wondering if you could help.”

Jason scooted forward and held onto Tim’s forearm as he peered inside. “You know I’m not familiar with your design.”

“It shouldn’t be that hard. You fix things for a living, so a wire can’t be too difficult for you, Jason.” He didn’t need to look up to know that Tim was smirking at him. “I know you’re used to older models, but I’d prefer you try over going to a mechanic.”

Even though many mechanics joked that they were basically doctors, Tim always felt apprehensive about them. He never really explained why, but Jason could relate. He never liked going for check ups either. There was just something unnerving about a stranger inspecting you even if it was their profession.

Jason grabbed a flashlight and held it between his teeth as he looked at the components in Tim’s arm. The one thing that he noticed every time Tim asked him to look at something was that everything was packed so tightly together. He really had to lean in and look around to find anything wrong. It would be much easier if they were able to get their hands on Tim’s schematics, but his design had been carefully guarded because of how advanced it was at the time of his release. It was to keep people from engineering their own models based off of him, but it really only made things harder for Jason. He wasn’t an official mechanic, so he had no way to get his hands on the schematics.

He dropped the flashlight into his hand. “I don’t know what to do, Tim.” Jason rubbed the butt of the flashlight against his chin in thought. “I want to help you so bad, but I just don’t know.”

“Jay.” Tim’s free hand came up and nudged Jason’s chin, moving his head up so their eyes could meet. “You know what to do. Think about it. You just need to utilize all of the tools in your toolbox.”

 

\---

 

He was in his own quarters when he woke up. That meant that Dick somehow managed to drag Jason all the way over from the cargo hold to the living area. That couldn’t have been an easy feat, because Jason was a heavy guy.

Jason was pissed, livid even. How dare Dick knock him unconscious without permission. It violated him respecting Jason’s wants and he wasn’t in the position to make that decision for Jason. Except the older man had been right. Jason was already feeling better and sharper than when he’d been trudging around trying to find the smallest things to fix over the past few days. That still didn’t mean that he was going to thank Dick. That would just prove the man right and make him feel smug, or even worse, happy.

His dream was still in the forefront of his mind. A mixture of a memory and of his own insecurities. Yes, of course he wanted to help Tim. That’s all he ever wanted to do. Jason needed to make up for the fact that he failed Tim.

But what did it all mean?

Tim was often cryptic in real life too, so it wasn’t a surprise that dream Tim was the exact same.

Annoying both in his mind and in person.

“Utilize all of the tools in my toolbox…” Jason trailed off and rubbed his hands over his face. His toolbox had many different things in it, both actual tools and other items that he often found himself needing during repairs and maintenance.

There was no way that dream Tim meant what was in his actual toolbox. So that meant something else in relation to tools.

Jason’s mind was running through all of the different possibilities as he got out of bed. There were definitely a lot of them that he could think of right off the bat, but he knew that it couldn’t be that easy. If it was, then Jason was sure he would’ve come up with it earlier instead of wallowing for the past few months.

He made a beeline back down to the cargo doors. If he had any luck, then Dick hadn’t cleaned his stuff up yet. Maybe he just had to brainstorm while staring at his tools. There had to be a connection somehow. Jason got down to where he was before Dick knocked him out and grumbled under his breath when he saw that his toolbox was gone. When did Dick ever clean up? Of course he had to do it at the most inconvenient of times.

“Dick! Where you are?” Jason connected to the ship’s messaging system and broadcasted through every channel.

It didn’t take long for the reply to come. “Jason! What are you doing up so soon? I thought you’d be out for ages.”

Jason never needed a long time to recharge, even if he’d been up for a while. “Where’s my stuff?”

“Look, I think it’s your best interest if you and your toolbox have some time apart,” Dick said.

“Where are you?” Jason stalked up towards the upper deck. There were a few places he could think of and he could at the very least go over to try and find Dick before he tried to hide away.

“At the helm.” Dick sounded oddly subdued. The other man probably knew that Jason was on his way and realized that there was no way to escape Jason. The ship simply wasn’t big enough for that. Jason would find him sooner rather than later.

Hopefully Dick would take the time that it took for Jason to go up to the helm to think about what he was going to say. If he didn’t come up with something good, his face was going to get reacquainted with Jason’s fist for sure. Scratch that, it might just happen either way, no matter what Dick had to say. He’d knocked Jason out without permission, after all. Dick really deserved to have his pretty face punched in.

Jason got up to the helm and the door slid open as he approached it. Dick was already sitting in his chair, facing the door. His face was eerily calm even though Jason knew that his wasn’t.

“I’m not going to say sorry for making you sleep, but I will say sorry that I wouldn’t have done it if I didn’t think it was necessary,” Dick said.

“That doesn’t matter! You violated my trust, Dick!” Jason snapped.

Dick took a deep breath. “And what was I supposed to do? Watch as you slowly self-destructed?”

Jason felt the inane urge to stomp his foot. “Yes!”

“So I would just have to deal with losing you too?” Dick’s eyes narrowed and he gripped the arm rests. “Tim is already gone and now I’m supposed to let you slip away from me too, Jason?”

“If you know what’s good for you, then yes.” Now that Dick had said that, Jason knew that he was being selfish, but this wasn’t something he could just let go.

“Than I guess I don’t know what’s good for me,” Dick muttered before he turned his chair to face the dashboard.

Jason clenched his fists and stalked up to Dick’s chair, grabbing the back of it. “Where are my tools, Dick?”

“I launched them out of the cargo hold,” Dick said.

For a moment, Jason didn’t even know how to comprehend what Dick just told him. His tools gone? Now floating around in space somewhere? But those were his tools. He’d collected them all over the years and he knew how they felt in his hands. They were an extension of him. “You fucking asshole! Those were mine! There were some special tools in there that Roy built custom for me!”

And just like that, the solution struck him in the face. _Roy_. The biggest tool in his toolbox. If anyone could think of something and also make it, then it was the red headed tinkerer. Jason hadn’t seen him in a few years, but Roy still owed him a favour. This was perfect. It could work. Now Jason just needed to come up with a plan and get Roy to help him execute it.

“Okay, I didn’t really float them, but if you don’t watch yourself, I just might!”

“Dick, do you know which sector Roy is working out of?” Jason asked.

“Huh?” There was a frown on Dick’s face as he turned to face Jason again. “Roy?”

“Yes, Roy! Roy Harper.”

“I know which Roy you’re talking about.” Dick tapped his foot on the ground for a few seconds. “Last I heard he was in the Lytir sector, hanging around the Caelestis station.”

Jason walked to the navigation dashboard and starting inputting the coordinates. Lytir sector wasn’t too far away. They could get there in a few hours. “You need to accept that job in the Rhea quadrant.”

“You told me to refuse it,” Dick protested.

The autopilot engaged and they were on their way. It would be a bit of a detour from the Rhea quadrant, but Dick said before that the delivery wasn’t the highest priority. They could take a few days to get to the job. “Now I’m telling you to accept it. And make sure to broadcast it on the channels so anyone who might be listening in will pick it up.”

It was silent for a good minute before Dick leaned forward and started inputting queries into the dashboard. “I hope you know what you’re doing, Jason.”

“If it helps, so do I.”  
  
“That doesn’t help at all.”

 

\---

 

The Caelestis station was on the smaller side for one being located near the center of the Lytir sector. It was likely because it was an older station where people tended to start off and then move on to other stations. There were enough amenities around though. Almost everything could be found, but the prices were higher due to the fact that there were only one or two locations set up for every amenity.

Jason briskly walked through the small streets as he searched for a small shop front. When he and Dick arrived, all they had to do was ask if someone had seen a red headed human. It was specific enough that the dock hand knew exactly who they were talking about and sent them on their way.

As they made their way through the station, Jason could see why it was so easy to get information. There weren’t many humans walking around. It was mostly the native inhabitants of the sector and other traffic that were likely travellers or workers on a quick pit stop.

Dick stuck close behind him, letting Jason take the lead. He’d asked a few times what they were going to see Roy for, but Jason refused to answer him. In fact, Jason suspected that Dick wasn’t making much of a fuss because he preferred Jason walking around with a goal rather than trying to fix every nook and cranny of the ship.

It didn’t take all too long before Jason spotted the shop front the dock hand had mentioned. It was definitely small, squished between two larger retailers. The sign at the front displayed an arrow, so Jason knew they were in the right place.

Jason stepped into the shop and looked around. The walls were covered in various different mechanical components and other machinery. He easily recognized some of them, but he also could see a few franken-components that were no doubt Roy’s handiwork.

“Roy Harper! Where are you?” Jason called out.

He heard some clattering in the back of the shop before a mechanical hand was held out from around a doorway in the far left corner. “Who’s looking for him?” There was a soft whirring coming from the hand.

Jason held his hands up in defence. “Roy, it’s just me. It’s Dick and Jason.”

Almost immediately a head popped out. Red hair, freckles, and a ratty ball cap. Even though they hadn’t seen each other in years, Jason could immediately recognize his old friend. “Oh shit! What are you two doing here? You should’ve sent me a message or something.”

“And given you time to clean up?” Jason made a point of looking around the place. “Never.”

Roy came over, immediately wrapping his arms around Jason. “Good to see you, Jay.” He stepped aside to embrace Dick next. “You too, Dick.”

Dick smiled. “It’s been a while. I’ve gotta say, I wasn’t expecting you to set up shop in a place like this.”

“It’s small and I don’t really have competition. If someone needs something built from scratch, then they come to me. It’s a lot cheaper and I can tell you that my quality is much higher than an bigwig corporations,” Roy said, adjusting his hat.

Jason took a step aside to look at the different contraptions on display. “Is this an audio system built into a propulsion unit?”  
  
“You bet! You’ve still got a good eye.” Roy smiled at the both of them before it shifted into a more serious expression. “So should I consider this a visit of pleasure or business?”

“Business,” Dick and Jason said in unison.

Roy nodded and beckoned them over with a wave of his robotic arm. “Follow me into my office, gentlemen.”

They went into the backroom and Roy closed the door behind them. The space was larger than the store front and looked like a mix between an office and a workshop. On one side there was a clean desk and some filing cabinets, but most of the space was filled up with different components and machines. There was one large table with a bright light over it, a few schematics displayed on the tabletop.

Roy sat on top of his desk. “What can I do for you?”

“I need some work done. But first, tell me how much you know about android interfacing,” Jason said.

Roy tapped his fingers on the desk as he hummed under his breath. “If you’re talking about the latest iteration from a few years back, then I know a little bit. Enough of it to make sense. State of the art system when it came out. It allows androids to connect with all electronics with little to no issue. Depending on what they’re connecting with they can do various different functions.”

Jason nodded along as Roy kept listing off more information. For someone who said that he knew a little bit, Roy still sounded pretty well versed. “Would you be able to create a system like that?”

“An interface system? With enough time and the right components, I can do a little of everything. Just depends what you need it for.”

“I need it to interface with another android,” Jason told him.

Immediately Roy pursed his lips. “You wanna find a way to interface with an android? I’m not sure if you know but-” Roy paused for a second before his eyes widened and his mouth fell open. “Oh. This is about that crewmate that you guys lost, right?”

“How do you know about that?” Dick asked.

Roy shrugged and pushed himself off of his desk. “I listen around and you guys get into enough crazy stuff that the rumors even make their way to me. Gossip travels fast in space. What’s so important about this android that you want it back?”

“Him,” Jason immediately corrected. “He’s sentient and he… He’s mine.”

There was an immediate understanding on Roy’s face. He didn’t look at Jason with pity or sorrow, like so many others did, but with clear comprehension. “I can try. I don’t know how well it’ll work though.”

“I’m not asking for more than you trying,” Jason said. If there was anyone that could do this, it was Roy. There really wasn’t any option available to Jason and he only trusted Roy to work on something like this for him.

“It might take a few days. Even if I can make it, there’s no guarantee how compatible it’ll be with an older model, Jason.” Roy warned.

“I just need _something_.”

Roy nodded and walked over to the other side of the room. “Then enter my workshop, if you dare.”

 

\---

 

The interface system felt heavy. It wasn’t necessarily because the unit itself was heavy, but because of what it meant. Roy told him that the interface would only work once before it would fail against the older systems not being able to keep up. There was no way to know how the failure would manifest itself, but it was giving Jason a chance.

A chance that he didn’t have before.

What would happen in the interface was completely unknown to Jason. If it did work, then what was he supposed to do? Could he do anything?

It made his vision go blurry just thinking about the uncertainties.

They were in the Rhea quadrant now, having picked up and dropped off the cargo for their job. After that, they made the decision to stick around to see if their presence was going to garner any reaction like it had last time.

If not, they would have to try again later. At one point they were going to get the attention that they wanted. It was just a matter of _when_. Jason hated not knowing. He didn’t want to think about carrying around this weight for another few months.

The Astraeus sector was the furthest that Dick was willing to travel to. They were waiting for people to come to _them_ , not go out and seek them out, even if there was a small part of Jason that wanted to. He knew, logically, that seeking them out would be the worst idea, because even if they were able to make it to where they were, there was no way of guaranteeing that Dick and Jason would make it close to Tim.

They just had to hedge their bets on the fact that Ra’s al Ghul was a man that liked to flaunt.

The man wasn’t known for his subtlety around them. Particularly because this was a slight to them directly rather than just meddling in their business like he was wont to do.

To Dick’s credit, he was trying to act like normal and keep Jason’s mind off of what may or may not happen. The man made sure that they were always doing things, either planning out where they’d go next, what kind of jobs they’d do, or even walk around the station that they’d settled in for the time being. It worked sometimes and Jason was thankful that Dick tried, even if he didn’t voice it.

It didn’t really ever take Jason’s mind off of what was ahead of them, but it worked as enough of a distraction.

“Should we try some of the local delicacies or do you just want to go back to the ship for the night?” Dick asked Jason.

They were walking around a small market that had been set up near the center of the station. There were stalls all around them being run by both locals and other wayfarers trying to sell some of their merchandise. A few things here and there caught Jason’s eyes, but not really enough to warrant going to look at them.

“We can go back to the ship,” Jason said as he turned to the side to avoid bumping into other patrons. “I’m sure there’s enough there that I can actually make something to eat.”

“You’re a far better cook than you should be, Jay.” Dick took a turn in the direction of where the docks were.

Jason snorted, kicking at some garbage near his feet. “I had to download a cookbook to make sure you didn’t sustain yourself with freeze dried snacks.”

Dick hooked his arm around Jason’s. “I really appreciate that, by the way.”

Jason smiled despite himself. He didn’t mind cooking for Dick at all. It was just something that he could do for the other man. Cooking was relaxing for Jason as well. Dick was his only critic, but he wasn’t a very picky eater and Jason knew all of the food that he liked anyways.

The smile slipped off his face when he caught a familiar face in the crowd. He came to a halt, not even noticing Dick yelp as he was jerked back by the sudden stop. “Tim?”

The look on Tim’s face was one that Jason could only describe as blank. There was no soft curl of his lips and no mischievous shine to his eyes. If anything, Tim looked like a machine. It was jarring, because he’d never been like that in the time that Jason knew him. And just like that, Tim turned away and slipped behind a few buildings.

Jason immediately darted after him, but Dick grabbed onto his arm. “Dick!”

“Jason. You need to go into this with a clear mind or Ra’s will walk all over you,” Dick said.

He held his breath for a few second before letting it out with a rush of air. Even though Dick was holding onto his arm, Jason was acutely aware of how heavy it was. “I’m gonna try, Dickie.”

Dick nodded, letting Jason go and leading the way. Together they went to the building that Tim ducked behind and made their way down the small path.

It didn’t take long for the crowds to die down as they walked between the buildings. The busier market was left behind and they found themselves in more of a residential area. Mostly Jason just saw family groups and kids running around. Still he kept his eyes out for any sign of Tim. He didn’t see him anywhere, but eventually his eyes settled on the large form of Ubu, standing in front of a small house.

The large man glared at both Dick and Jason as they approached, but he opened the door for them. It was an obvious invitation crafted by Ra’s, but Jason couldn’t let this chance slip away from him. He steeled himself before going inside, knowing that Dick would be right behind him.

The house was small on the inside too. Nothing more than a combined living room and dining room. Jason didn’t spend much time looking at them because he noticed that the backdoor was open.

When he stepped out, it was like he was in a different location. The garden in the back was lush and filled with local fauna. Bright reds and yellows stood out amongst the plants and in the middle of the garden a round table was set up.

Ra’s was sitting on the far end of the table, his signature green cloak hung over the back of the chair and his legs crossed as he sipped from a cup. Behind him, with a blank face, stood Tim.

Now that they were up close, Jason could really make out the blankness of his lover’s face. It was almost as if he was in rest mode, but not. Even when Tim was resting there was some sort of expression present. Jason knew all of those different expressions by heart. All he could think of when he saw Tim now was that it was like he wasn’t even running. Tim stood completely still, his chest not even moving to simulate breathing.

Jason and Dick stopped on the other side of the table. There were two other chairs set up right in front of them, but neither made a move to take a seat.

Ra’s didn’t look up at them as they came in close, instead sitting with his eyes closed as he drank. Jason gritted his teeth as Ra’s took his damn time finishing his drink and setting the cup down. Only then did he open his eyes and glance over Dick before his eyes settled squarely on Jason. “Gentleman. I must admit that I was intrigued to find you so close to my borders so soon,” he said, every word perfectly articulated.

“The area isn’t off limits,” Dick said. Jason was glad that he spoke up, because his first instinct was to snap out at the obvious jab.

“Still, last time we crossed paths was quite interesting.” His lips curled up into a smug smile.

Again, Dick spoke first. “If you can call blatant manipulation interesting.”

“I do. In fact, it’s a preferred technique. It’s highly effective. Wouldn’t you agree, Jason?”

Now the bastard addressed him directly, so there was no more hiding behind Dick’s cool facade. “You’re a disgusting human being.”

“What an eloquent response. Hardly better than your bitter silence last time. I was surprised to see you cry, Jason. I didn’t think you were capable of such a function.” Ra’s kept his infuriating calm.

“I’m capable of a lot more than you think,” Jason said.

Ra’s eyes trailed down to his arm, which made Jason freeze. That look was much too pointed for Jason’s liking. “Perhaps you are. Timothy.” He snapped his fingers and Tim turned to look at Ra’s. “Bring out the refreshments you set out earlier.

Tim nodded silently and made his way briskly past Jason and Dick.

“A very exemplary model,” Ra’s said. “It’s a true shame his line wasn’t expanded upon once it was revealed how easily they developed sentience. Really, it isn’t the rarest of occurrences.”

“Tim’s one of a kind,” Jason insisted.

“Indeed he is,” Ra’s replied as Tim returned. He set down three cups on the table before he made to stand behind Ra’s again, only to be stop when Ra’s held his hand up. “Timothy, care to stand in front of Jason?”

Tim nodded and changed course, coming to a stop only a few inches away from Jason. “Tim?” Jason whispered, trying not to let his despair show when there was no response at all.

“I know what you’ve had installed, Jason. I find myself wondering how much you think to accomplish with it.”

It wasn’t all too surprising that Ra’s knew, Jason decided. The man likely had spies all over the galaxies. “I want to bring Tim back.”

“I thought as much.” Ra’s grabbed the cup and leaned back in his chair. “Go ahead and make an attempt.”

Jason didn’t move. “What’s the catch?”

Ra’s scoffed under his breath. “There is none. Besides, I suppose, that I will only allow you a single opportunity.”

There was no way that there wasn’t a caveat to this whole affair. Jason glanced over at Dick, who looked just as worried as Jason felt. However, this was a chance they couldn’t let slip by. Ra’s said it himself. This was going to be their only shot at this and Jason couldn’t bring himself to refuse.

Instead he raised his heavy arm and stared straight into Tim’s blank eyes. Tim reciprocated, reaching up and pressing their fingertips together. Nothing happened and for a split second, Jason was scared that Roy was right and the software was too sophisticated for him, just then he felt a sharp jolt down his arm and his vision blacked out.

When his eyes started working again, Jason noticed that he wasn’t in the luscious garden on the station, but inside of the Robin instead. He wondered what happened as he walked down the hall, his shoes clanking against the metal floors of the ship.  

Quickly he started running around, looking in all the places that he knew Tim liked to be. “Tim?!” Jason called out as he looked for his lover. Oddly enough, there were a few places missing. Doors that weren’t where they were supposed to be or rooms that were completely empty.

The biggest thing that stood out to him was that their room was gone. Jason barreled around the corner and slammed his hand where the port was supposed to be, but it wasn’t there. The door wasn’t there either. His heart pounded heavily in his chest, struggling to keep his body up and running. Their room, _their space_ , was gone.

Where else would Tim be?

Jason’s mind went through a dozen different possibilities before he turned to head down into the engine room. His legs felt unsteady, so he made sure to keep walking. If he was going to stop, then he wouldn’t be able to go any further. Halfway down, Jason’s arm ached and he looked down. There was the smell of smoke and Jason pushed his sleeve up, almost recoiling at the sight of his skin melting, revealing the metal chassis underneath. He spotted the interface system that Roy installed. If this was happening in his mind, then Jason couldn’t put aside the thought that this was happening on the outside too.

That just meant one thing. He had to hurry before his time ran up.

Jason pushed his lagging body faster, practically sprinting and stumbling down the halls as he went to the engine room. His ears picked up the sound of machinery running as he got closer and he knew that he was on the right track this time. When he got inside, Jason almost laughed in relief when he saw the familiar sight of Tim’s back.

Tim turned as soon as Jason entered, with a slight frown. “Greetings. It’s good that you came. Do you perform maintenance on this unit? It appears to be malfunctioning.”

“Yeah,” Jason let out a breathy laugh. “That’s my job.”

Tim’s eyes went down to his arm. “Your systems are functioning suboptimally. I detect a high possibility that you will not be able to perform the repairs needed.”

God, the voice was all Tim’s, but it sounded as hollow as early AI operating systems. “I can guide you through it. The engine needs to keep running.” Jason spotted his toolbox down by Tim’s feet.

“I’m not equipped to work on mechanical devices,” Tim said.

Jason laughed lowly. “Neither was I, but I learned.” He sat down against the engine block and lifted up the flashlight from his toolbox. “First you have to investigate to see what’s wrong.”

Tim stared down at the flashlight before he slowly took it. “Very well.” He knelt down next to Jason to start the inspection.

Together they went through the motions of finding the faulty component. It was eerily reminiscent of when Jason taught Tim to help him keep up the maintenance on the Robin. Of course, Jason used to be more hands on with his help, but he’d been operating at full capacity then.

If he closed his eyes, Jason could pretend that they were back to their own routine, before Ra’s, before Tim being reset. Jason would give anything to just have _this_ back. Just the two of them, working side by side. All he needed was Tim with him again, even if that meant that they wouldn’t be _together_ anymore. He was thirsty for anything that he could get.

“The distributor component is missing. I cannot find it in the room either, so I am unsure as how to proceed,” Tim said as he was arms deep into the engine.

“Just…” It was getting harder and harder to concentrate. “Use all the tools in your toolbox, Tim.”

“What...what does that mean, Jason?”

“Think about it. You know what it means.” This was the first time Jason heard Tim say his name in months. All feeling in his arm was gone now and Jason knew that if he looked at it, that it would be falling apart. The connections were all fried by now. It was like he didn’t have an arm at all anymore.

A hand settled on his cheek. “Jason?”

He couldn’t even bring himself to open his eyes. “Yeah, Timbo?”

“Your systems are failing. You will be forced to reset,” Tim said.

Jason hummed under his breath. “I know.”

“How will I fix the engine without you, Jason?”

“I believe in you. You’re amazing, Tim.”

“Jason? Jason, wait-”

It was like he was stuck in an area of zero gravity.

Everything came back to him in blaring red. Errors appeared in his lines of vision and more just kept piling on top with every passing second. It was a never ending stream of them. Even when he’d been beaten within an inch of his life, they’d never been this bad before.

Jason’s knee joints gave out and he slumped to the side, only barely being caught before he slammed into the stone path.

“Ja-”

His ears were malfunctioning, only picking bit and pieces of sounds.

“Get his --- off!”

“-appened?”

“-son. We’re gonna ma----kay!”

A timer ticked down, large and blocky numbers going down more and more.

Jason didn’t even register when they hit zero.

 

\---

 

There were still alerts in front of his vision when he opened his eyes again. Most of them were ones alerting him to various smaller errors, but the largest and most glaring one was the report on his arm.

**Component B17Z; short circuit; unknown upgrade;** **_MISSING_**

Sure enough, when Jason lifted his head to look at his arm, all he could see was empty space. His sleeve had been rolled up and pinned to cover up the exposed workings of the socket where his arm component was supposed to be installed.

Slowly Jason started running diagnostics to check what other components might not be working. The interface system burning through his arm likely also sent shockwaves throughout the rest of his components and they were all old or secondhand at this point. He was old enough that replacement components manufactured specifically for him weren’t available on the market anymore besides chopshops and second hand stores. Nothing was ever new anymore.

From what he could tell, the most pressing matter had been his arm, which was already removed. Whoever had done that did it fast enough that the malfunctions hadn’t spread through his systems, which was a relief. That meant that he only had to get his arm replaced and maybe a few minor components switched out.

The door to his room slid open and Jason lifted his head.

Standing there, rather impossibly, was Tim. His hair was half tied back into a bun and he was wearing a shirt that was much too big for him. A red one that Jason often wore when they went to sleep.

Their eyes met and Jason felt like any of his functioning components failed at the same time when he saw the light back in those pale blue eyes. Gone was the glassy blankness and back was that spark of life he’d been longing for.

Tim threw himself onto the bed, wrapping his arms around Jason’s shoulders. In turn, Jason wrapped his arm around Tim’s waist, immediately feeling sad that he couldn’t properly embrace Tim in return.

Hands slipped from Jason’s neck to his cheeks and his head was tilted back so he could look up at Tim. Their eyes met again before Tim surged forward, pressing their lips together.

This better not be another dream, Jason hoped. He didn’t think that he would be able to survive waking up from a dream like this. Not after everything that he’d just gone through.

Their kiss was eager. Deep and searching before trailing off into something sweeter and more longing. It last for minutes, or hours, Jason didn’t know. Neither of them had to breathe so technically they could kiss forever if they wanted to.

Eventually Jason pulled away. He had to know, couldn’t take not knowing any longer. “Tim? Are you back?”

“I’m back. It’s me, Jason.” Tim kissed him again.

“How?” Jason asked between kisses. “Did everything? With Ra’s?”

He could feel Tim’s sneer against his cheek. “Apparently he lost his amusement when I was just a blank slate and didn’t find any enjoyment having me at his side if it wasn’t _me_ . He _thanked_ you as your body reset and Dick and I were scrambling to pull your arm off before it could damage you any more.” The vehement words were spat out.

“And then?”

“He just left after that. The galaxies know where or why. But he’s gone and I’m back,” Tim reassured Jason again.

“I love you. _So much,”_ Jason whispered.

Tim kissed the corner of Jason’s mouth. “I love you too. Even if you’re stupid.”

“Love makes you do stupid things.”

“Horrible. Incorrigible. Ridiculous.” Tim kept kissing Jason after each word.

Jason soaked up all of the attention. He’d ached for this for months on end and now he finally had it back. “What’s going to happen now?”

“We’re going back to Roy’s to find you a replacement arm and I’m not leaving your side for a single second.”

Jason smiled widely when he saw the determined look on Tim’s face. “I wouldn’t want it any other way.”


End file.
